Before the Beginning and After the End
by Sara Minks
Summary: Arabella Figg's beginning and my version of what happens after book 4. Hope you like it :)
1. Prologue

Prologue:  
  
"Do you remember your promise to me, Arabella?" asked Professor Dumbledore gently.  
  
Arabella Figg was trembling all over her body. But she stiffened up, took a deep breath, and nodded, resolved to her fate, "Yes. Anything. What do you want me to do?"  
  
"I would trust you with my life. But for now, I need to entrust you with someone else's. I am going to have to ask you to be the Holder of the Eridius Charm. It is a very complicated spell... that only you could handle at this point. I am correct in assuming that you do not know how it works?"  
  
"I've heard of it, but I don't know what it does."  
  
"Ah, nor do the best of us. I myself picked it up on my literary travels to Scandinavia. It is similar in form to the Fidelius Charm, which I know you are familiar with-"  
  
"Yes... that was the end of Lily and James... I still can't believe it, I saw them only a few hours ago... and now they're- gone," Arabella Figg seized up as she choked back a sob.  
  
"And now you must do all you can to protect Harry, as you have promised me. I cannot do it myself, you know the reasons why. But you must listen. If you do this, you must understand."  
  
"Sorry, Albus. I'm ready."  
  
"As I said, this is similar to the Fidelius Charm. However, instead of one secret hidden inside a person, it is the protection of another. If I place this charm on you, it can never be taken away. The rest of your life will be centered on protecting Harry. This is a colossal sacrifice and I will understand if you refuse."  
  
"No. I will keep my promise."  
  
Dumbledore smiled for the first time that night, the familiar twinkle returning, if only for a moment, into those astonishingly clear blue eyes of his.  
  
"I didn't expect any less of you. This is going to have to be done right away. Who knows what might happen to stall us, and that could be disastrous."  
  
"But, Albus, You-Know-Who is gone, isn't he?"  
  
"Yes, Voldemort is gone, for now. But don't forget all his supporters. This will be terrible news to them- and killing Harry will be the only thing they'll have in mind."  
  
"But, won't we catch them? I mean, surely Azkaban, and the dementors..."  
  
"We will never catch all of them. Some will be sent to Azkaban, of course, but many will stay free. It is inevitable. Come, Arabella. Now it is time. I am going to place you under this spell, but you will not remember anything- you will be stunned. Any conscious person would not be able to handle this. I shall return tomorrow morning to visit you."  
  
"But where will you be?"  
  
"I have previous engagements to attend to. I must see to it that Harry is delivered to his aunt and uncle, along with a letter I will provide. I also might stop at a few parties or feasts along the way," Dumbledore's tense smile relaxed, "It is, after all, a miracle that happened at Godric's Hollow. A miracle at the expense of two of the finest we had, and shall ever have, but a miracle that might end the madness. Harry Potter's miracle."  
  
Arabella Figg didn't remember anything after that. But she did find herself in a new house, on Privet Drive, the following morning, in a bright bedroom, with an owl tapping on her window. At that moment, as she was getting up on her shaky legs to receive the owl's message, a shrill scream came piercing from across the street. Harry would be safe. 


	2. The Journey

1 Chapter 1  
  
"Olympe, it's time to go."  
  
"Coming, 'agrid!  
  
Hagrid sighed as he looked up at the castle, and back at his happy home on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. He had never left the Hogwarts since the year he started at Hogwarts as the gamekeeper, and tears already flew to his eyes at the thought of leaving the place.  
  
Dumbledore had stopped him that morning to wish him luck.  
  
"Have a safe journey, Hagrid. And don't forget to take good care of Olympe- it wouldn't do to lose a Headmistress on vacation."  
  
Hagrid couldn't say anything in reply, but nodded. As he was walking away from the Headmaster, the words "Great man, Dumbledore," could be heard.  
  
The next morning the two set off for what was going to be a long journey, and they weren't even sure if it would be successful. They took a broom each- Professor Dumbledore had been kind enough to provide the largest broom available on the market for both- and were only about 100 miles away when they saw the dim outline of the mountains in front of them.  
  
"Great things, these brooms. You can hardly even feel them- feels like you're floating in thin air," commented Hagrid. This wasn't an understatement, because it even looked like they were floating in thin air- both of their large bodies covered up any visible side of each broom, so it looked like there were two very large birds hovering overhead for anyone who could see them. Luckily, however, an invisibility booster had been installed on each broomstick so that no one could see what they would find an extremely disturbing sight from far below.  
  
The next day they had arrived at the mountains, and now followed their instinct- and the giant explosions- that came from one side of the mountain range.  
  
"Ooh, 'agrid, vat is that?" asked Madam Maxine as they flew over what seemed to be a giant stone archway. They slowed down on their brooms and looped down. They passed through the archway and found themselves in a valley between two of the tallest mountains. It was covered with giant stone houses the size of a few of the smaller mountains.  
  
"I think this is it," said Hagrid. They landed (if somewhat shakily, because they had been riding for hours) and turned off their invisibility boosters. Immediately they heard a giant rumbling sound similar to the explosions they heard earlier, and a man twice the size of Hagrid and Madam Maxine walked up to them, bent down, and asked,  
  
"Who you are and what you want." He didn't seem to be too intelligent, so Hagrid shouted slowly and clearly,  
  
"We – are – looking – for – Fridwulfa."  
  
The giant looked at him for a second and answered slowly, as if Hagrid himself was a little dumb-witted,  
  
"What – you – want – with – Cheftaine – Fridwulfa?"  
  
"Tell – her – Hagrid – is – here."  
  
The giant stopped short.  
  
"You- you're Hagrid?" the giant asked, the slow look disappearing from his face completely.  
  
"Yes," replied Hagrid, looking confused.  
  
With an excited look on his face, the giant ran into the nearest stone hut and returned a moment later with another giant- this one a female and undoubtedly Hagrid's mother. She had the same eyes and hair as Hagrid, and now looked upon him with astonishment. 


	3. Nundu

1 Chapter 1  
  
"Olympe, it's time to go."  
  
"Coming, 'agrid!  
  
Hagrid sighed as he looked up at the castle, and back at his happy home on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. He had never left the Hogwarts since the year he started at Hogwarts as the gamekeeper, and tears already flew to his eyes at the thought of leaving the place.  
  
Dumbledore had stopped him that morning to wish him luck.  
  
"Have a safe journey, Hagrid. And don't forget to take good care of Olympe- it wouldn't do to lose a Headmistress on vacation."  
  
Hagrid couldn't say anything in reply, but nodded. As he was walking away from the Headmaster, the words "Great man, Dumbledore," could be heard.  
  
* * *  
  
The two set off for what was going to be a long journey, and they weren't even sure if it would be successful. They took a broom each- Professor Dumbledore had been kind enough to provide the largest broom available on the market for both- and were only about 100 miles away when they saw the dim outline of the mountains in front of them.  
  
"Great things, these brooms. You can hardly even feel them- feels like you're floating in thin air," commented Hagrid. This wasn't an understatement, because it even looked like they were floating in thin air- both of their large bodies covered up any visible side of each broom, so it looked like there were two very large birds hovering overhead for anyone who could see them. Luckily, however, an invisibility booster had been installed on each broomstick so that no one could see what they would find an extremely disturbing sight from far below.  
  
The next day they had arrived at the mountains, and now followed their instinct- and the giant explosions- that came from one side of the mountain range.  
  
"Ooh, 'agrid, vat is that?" asked Madam Maxine as they flew over what seemed to be a giant stone archway. They slowed down on their brooms and looped down. They passed through the archway and found themselves in a valley between two of the tallest mountains. It was covered with giant stone houses the size of a few of the smaller mountains.  
  
"I think this is it," said Hagrid. They landed (if somewhat shakily, because they had been riding for hours) and turned off their invisibility boosters. Immediately they heard a giant rumbling sound similar to the explosions they heard earlier, and a man twice the size of Hagrid and Madam Maxine walked up to them, bent down, and asked,  
  
"Who you are and what you want." He didn't seem to be too intelligent, so Hagrid shouted slowly and clearly,  
  
"We – are – looking – for – Fridwulfa."  
  
The giant looked at him for a second and answered slowly, as if Hagrid himself was a little dumb-witted,  
  
"What – you – want – with – Cheftaine – Fridwulfa?"  
  
"Tell – her – Hagrid – is – here."  
  
The giant stopped short.  
  
"You- you're Hagrid?" the giant asked, the slow look disappearing from his face completely.  
  
"Yes," replied Hagrid, looking confused.  
  
With an excited look on his face, the giant ran into the nearest stone hut and returned a moment later with another giant- this one a female and undoubtedly Hagrid's mother. She had the same eyes and hair as Hagrid, and now looked upon him with astonishment. 


End file.
